Different advertisement services currently exist for publishers of websites and content. Generally, these services enable publishers to enroll in a program where the service selects and displays advertisements on the publisher's web site. The advertisements are often selected to match the content of the publisher's website. Traditionally, the content of the advertisement may include text, images, or even video.
Coupons are items that can be used to procure something of value (e.g. discount) in a transaction (e.g. for the purchase of a product that is the subject of the coupon content). Typically, coupons are issued for use in retail stores as a form of marketing or promotion. In the past, coupons were distributed in print form through mail, magazines, and newspapers. Increasingly, coupons are distributed through the Internet. Coupons that are distributed over the Internet can resemble traditional coupons (i.e. those distributed through the mail or in newspapers), but such coupons are printed from a user's computer.
Numerous types of coupons exist. Some coupons are unstructured and other coupons are structured and formatted in compliance with industry or published standards for coupons. The typical components of structured coupons include an image and/or text reciting the value of the offer, the product(s) offered, terms and conditions, and a barcode that can be scanned and validated (e.g., such as by a retailer).
This barcode is typically standardized (e.g., one standardized barcode format is UPC Version A which has the following format:
5 MMMMM FFFVV c)
In this format, the first digit(s) are either the number five (5) or the number ninety-nine (99). This number identifies the barcode as a coupon to the point-of-sale (POS) machine/logic. The second set of digits is comprised of a five-digit manufacturer identification number. In most cases, this number must match the manufacturer identification number (“Manufacturer ID”) of the item being discounted by the coupon. This is shown as MMMMM above. The next three (3) digits is a family code, summary code or super summary code. This number is determined by a manufacturer and is based on how the manufacturer is offering the coupon. The family code hierarchy of the coupon is predetermined by a manufacturer and used so that a coupon can only be redeemed for those items associated with the manufacturer ID and family code of the coupon. In the depicted format, the next two (2) digits are a value code. This is taken from a predetermined listing, published by GS1 (formerly the Uniform Code Council). The final digit is a check character that is calculated from the previous eleven (11) digits, shown as c above.
The bar codes on coupons provide information that enables the retailer to match the items the individual is purchasing with the offers in the coupons. For example, a UPC A type coupon, point-of-sale machine/logic identifies and reads the barcode on the coupon, and compares the information of the barcode with the stored information in the retailer's product file. Typically, the machine/logic checks the items purchased by the customer in order to identify an item with that same manufacturer ID number that is within the barcode symbol on the coupon. If product(s) with the same manufacturer ID exist in the purchase, the machine/logic checks to see if the family code of the coupon accommodates the product identifier of the items purchased. If there is a match, the value of the coupon is deducted from the customer's order. If there is no match, the machine/logic generates an error code.